It is well known that sights may be positioned on bows to aim the arrow shot therefrom. Bow sights are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,711,036; 4,669,196; 4,662,347; 4,317,288; 3,477,130; 3,450,122; 4,715,126; 4,263,718 and 4,462,163. A rear bow sight is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,352.
The most common bow sight includes a mounting bracket for retaining a sighting point such as the distal end of a pin, and a small loop which is fitted along the length of the bow string. To aim the bow, the archer sights his eye through the loop on the bow string and aligns the sighting pin over his target and centers the sighting point and target in the loop to aim the arrow.
The aiming of an arrow requires not only sighting on the target before the archer releases the arrow from the bow, but requires that the archer maintain the bow at its proper orientation while the arrow is being propelled by the forward moving bow string. The aim of the arrow will be lost if there is movement of the bow while the arrow is being propelled by the bow string. A bow sight which requires the archer to aim through a loop or other object attached to the string cannot maintain his aim while the arrow is being launched, and, therefore, the accuracy of the shot is dependent upon the archer's ability to blindly retain his bow's position while the arrow is launched.
Another problem with bow sights requiring an archer to align the tip of a pin and the target in the center of a loop on a bow string occurs in poor lighting. In poor lighting conditions, the archer cannot distinguish the boundaries of the field of vision established by the loop on the bow string, and cannot tell when the pin and target are in the center of the field of vision.
Another problem with sighting a bow arises from the differences between the arrows used in the bow. At the rear end of the arrow is a longitudinal slot into which the bow string is fitted. Frequently, the slot in the arrow is narrower than the width of the bow string such that the arrow grips the bow string. Some arrows grip the bow string more tightly than others. When an arrow that tightly grips a bow string is shot from a bow, the arrow will retain its grip after the bow string passes the relief position of the bow and will cause the arrow to decelerate before it is finally separated from the bow string. Arrows which more tightly grip a bow string will have a lesser initial speed than arrows with a loose grip, and, therefore, the flight of one arrow is not the same as the flight of another.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a bow sight which could be used in combination with a pin of the type on existing bow sights, to aim an arrow which would not be lost once the sting is released and would not require the archer to sight through a small hole. It would also be desirable to provide a device for releasing an arrow from a bow string after the bow string has passed the relief position.